A veterinarian student in Alabama is charged with running a "cruel" scam on animal lovers.

According to WTVM, third-year Tuskegee University veterinarian student, Fallon Blackwood, made people believe horses they could no longer care for would go to a good home.

Advertisement

“She was getting the horses and telling the owners they were going to nice pasture land and would happily live their days out. What she was doing was taking the horses to slaughter," Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson said.

One victim claimed they gave Blackwood a horse valued at $1,500 in November.

Lindsay Rosentrator told Fox 5 Blackwood claimed the horse would be a "pasture mate" to a horse she already owned.

“He loved being around other horses and other people," she remembered, describing the horse she got on her 17th birthday. "His time wasn’t up."

Shortly thereafter, there was no sign of the horse. Blackwood refused to send pictures of the horse, who was allegedly adjusting well to his new life.

Conversations in a Facebook group revealed other people had similar experiences.

According to NetPosse, a nonprofit that tracks horse theft, 21 people have complained of Blackwood taking their horses under false pretenses.

Often, when asked for pictures of the horses, Blackwood would claim the animal suffered some sort of tragic accident.

“She told one horse owner that both horses were struck by lightning and died.” pointed out Pam Miller of NetPosse.

“From what I understand, there are many more over the south," said Brunson. "Slaughtered to potentially be made into dog food is what is believed to have happened to some of the horses that landed in Blackwood’s possession."

Investigators and state authorities arrested Blackwood on Tuskegee University campus this week.

She was placed in the Macon County Jail, facing felony charges of obtaining property under false pretense.

“It's just a shame something like this would happen and somebody would be this cruel, if this is what happened," said Brunson.